Okay, okay, I KNOW I keep saying that I'm going to finish a story before I start another one but I really couldn't help myself (sorry Lydia!)

Also, as some of you may remember when I first joined I started a fic "Death's Shadow Walks" that some of you really liked but I later took it down because I didn't have anywhere to go with it at the time and I stepped away from it for so long that I didn't even remember what I wanted to do with it. And then my last computer crashed and I lost the file *cry*. So, for those of you who liked that story, I'm sorry, but hopefully this BRAND NEW IDEA will suffice!

This is mostly based on the anime. There will be manga references too, but I'm going with the whole "Ciel turned into a demon because Claude is a bitch and now Sebastian is stuck with him for all eternity" plot twist for my story because it'll make a hell of a lot more sense. And to the Ciel fans out there, I am sorry he is going to be such a bitch the first few chapters, but I promise he gets better-likable even! (I really don't like Ciel, I'm sorry. Speaking of which, do we all want to talk about how they made him A GIRL IN THE LIVE ACTION MOVIE? TROLOLOLOLOLOL)

Also f*** time travel. I've been watching way too much Doctor Who (and sorry for my language…it's gotten kind of vulgar lately. If it gets too bad I'll change the rating for all you little peeps out there who really shouldn't be watching gothic anime about demons who suck your soul away anyway. :P)

ALSO! I'd like to give a shout out to BlueMoonBrightStars for inspiring me to write this! Her story, "A Demon's Mate" is killer and I loved the concept of it so much I kind of wrote my own little twist to her ideas (I couldn't help myself, I'm sorry!). Of course, this story is of my own concoction and really the only thing I stole from her brain was the idea of demon's having a mate and Sebastian's mate not being…well…a demon…you'll see where I'm going with this by the end of the chapter so I won't spoil anything else.

But really, check out this kid's story. Her writing style puts my novel to shame and I love it! :) (seriously, go to my profile and my favorite's tab and read it. READ IT NOW I SAY SO YOU CAN CRY OVER THE FEELS I KNOW SHE IS GOING TO EXPLODE FROM WITHIN US ALL!)

Okay, enough of my banter. Sorry, I just haven't been this emotionally invested in a fan fiction since Badpenny232's "Lost Destiny and Hidden Pasts" (It's a Hobbit story. READ THAT TOO!) and I have a feeling I know where BlueMoon is going and it makes me want to curl up into fetal position and cry because it's so good.

Oh, and yes, those "The Fault in Our Stars" references were intentional. In every way you can imagine. I just finished that book and I am SOBBING.

Okay, I'm promise I'm done! I'd say to look forward for more but you all know how I am about updating (yay college!) so just read and review and I hope you like!

ENJOI


United States: Year 2014

Artie

Another stressful day, that's what this was. I just knew it as soon as the alarm, a blaring blow horn noise my phone maliciously mimicked, went off beside me. Part of me just wanted to sleep through it, however the other, much more logical half of my brain reminded me that if I didn't shut my alarm off, my roommate certainly would, and that is not what I wanted.

Ugh. I'm twenty-one years old and I still live in the dorms. If only I had been able to afford that damn lease on the apartment I wanted to rent. On the bright side, our tiny dorm room is actually on campus meaning that I can wake up ten minutes before class starts and still make it on time.

Downside (which is a severe downside might I add) is that the dorms do not allow alcohol. I'm legal, and yet I can't have a simple glass of wine after a long and stressful day.

Granted, with an eighteen-year-old freshman who thinks binge-drinking is the only way to spend your weekend as a roommate, I don't think I'd even want a case of beer in my fridge.

Okay, make that two downsides to being stuck in the dorms. But no matter, once I graduate I'll be able to afford my own place. I won't even need to share a lease.

In any case, it was the start of the spring semester and with all but one of my classes for my nursing degree and two Clinicals, I knew yesterday was my last day to breathe until May.

Little did I know that those moments the night before preparing for bed and scolding a waisted Madeline that I hadn't been more right. I had a hinting suspicion that my breath had been forever stolen away when I looked into those deep beautiful rose-colored eyes, but I didn't realize that that brief moment forever changed both my life and his.

I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to return to my schedule. So yeah, first day of classes. Never fun. Ever. My first two classes were (surprise!) nursing, and as soon as I took a look at the syllabi, I had to say a quick prayer to myself. Only the grace of God would get me through this semester. My third class, which thankfully wasn't until after a two hour break.

And that's when it all changed.

My third class was a simple Gen. Ed. on early western civilizations that most freshmen take but because of my pure hatred for history, I put it off until my junior year deciding I procrastinated long enough but didn't want to suffer through the class in my last year of college.

I made it into the lecture hall and took a seat towards the front. Once my notebook was out I looked around the lecture hall to see if anyone I knew was in this class with me. Glancing behind me I saw Madeline's cheery smile and curly blonde hair as she waved cheerily at me. I smiled and saluted her back. As much as I complained about her naivety and her poor weekend choices, she really was a sweet kid.

Still waiting for the professor to come in I turned back around. A tall man walked into my row and chose the seat three away from me. I sat back in my chair and got a good glance at the man. For one, it was nice to know that I wasn't the only upperclassmen putting history off until the last second. On another note, this stranger was gorgeous!

What I couldn't figure out though was that this stranger had to have been a year older than me, but I had never seen him before, never had a class. True, he could have been another major, but still I should have at least seen him in my freshmen and sophomore level classes. Could he have been a transfer student? Possibly, but most students didn't transfer in the second semester. But good grief was he gorgeous. Porcelain skin contrasted his black blazer and raven-colored hair so beautifully he looked more like a china doll. His body, though slender was so long and masculine that if he wasn't so graceful in the way he moved, he would have looked like he was struggling to fit himself into the small chair.

The stranger moved quickly, though I could tell the lecture hall setting was baffling to him as he looked for a place to put his briefcase (his briefcase!) and I caught a glimpse of black painted nails and an intricately designed star tattooed on his left hand. I raised an eyebrow at that. Being a personal fan of tattoos myself, I thought a pentagram was a little cheesy. Not only that, but on the hand? Seriously? How obvious could you get? Though I had to admit, for him, it looked pretty damn good.

He must've felt my eyes on him, because the man glanced up at me, halfway to sitting position. That was when I caught a glimpse of his rose-colored eyes. I felt my face heat up, embarrassed that I was caught staring, but managed to cover my flub up with a wave and a polite hello.

The exchange wasn't really more than a second, and the man nodded back to me politely, but he did a double take suddenly and his relaxed and poised expression contorted into one of shock. It was the first and only time I had seen him loose his composure and his eyes never left me as he reached his seat. He even dropped his pencil he was so focused on me. I had no idea what was so interesting, but the way his gaze pierced me, even as I turned away from him and as the professor began his lecture, I could feel the stranger's eyes on me.

Part of me wondered if he had seen a ghost.


Great Britain: Year 1888

Sebastian

Afternoons with Lady Elizabether were always quite amusing. They exhausted the young master to no end (and the drove Sebastian as close to exhaustion as a demon could be) and yet it seemed her energy only amplified as the day wore on until she crashed at some point in the evening. This particular evening as the butler readied his master to bed only peaked Sebastian's interest even more.

"Oh, how exhausting," Ciel groaned as he pulled took his eye patch off. "Why do I even put up with her antics?"

At that, Sebastian chuckled. It was a common question after days like this, and so Sebastian replied with his common answer: "Young love, I would presume. She is your fiancé after all, Young Master."

Ciel scoffed in response as per the norm, except this night the young master seemed to be unusually spiteful. Perhaps it was his exhaustion coupled with his natural tendency to act like the demanding brat he is, or perhaps it was destiny working its way into the contract of their lives, but Ciel Phantomhive dared to beg the question to his butler: "And what exactly would you know of love, Sebastian?"

The demon raised his eyebrows as he pulled the covers up to his master's chin. "I suppose you are right, young master," Sebastian responded. And in a way he was. Demons did not feel. At least not in the way humans did. They weren't meant to. Weren't supposed to. Love was simply foreign to Sebastian. To love another being other than himself would almost be begging a death wish for multiple reasons.

As if Ciel had read the demon's mind, the boy hesitantly asked, "Have you…loved someone Sebastian?"

"Can't say that I have," Sebastian answered curtly. "Love is not an emotion we demons allow ourselves to feel. It is simply not in our nature. However, I will say that for reproduction's sake each demon is assigned to a mate."

"A mate?" Ciel asked, his interest peaking.

"Indeed," the butler replied. "Each demon is assigned a mate at birth, though we do not know who that mate is until we see them. You could call it a form of 'love at first sight', at least as close to that as we demons can become."

A large blue eye peered up at Sebastian with skepticism. "And have you?"

"Found my mate?" Sebastian inquired. Ciel responded with a small nod and the butler couldn't help but chuckle at that. "No. And I doubt I will. To find one's mate is very rare and to feel affection for that mate is even more so, dangerous even. I have lived for so long. I do not desire to partake in such trivial matters. Offspring would only mean more competition in terms of feeding, if I may be so blunt."

"Hm," Ciel nodded. The butler could tell that the boy wasn't fully able to process the information. He didn't expect him to. And in a way, it was probably for the best. Once the young master was asleep, the butler too decided to retire for the night, his mind drifting to thoughts he hadn't even considered in at least a hundred years.

A mate. What a petty idea. True, the thought of finding someone to spend your eternity with intrigued Sebastian once in his younger years, but after spending a millennia watching what an eternity with a mate did to some of his peers—not to mention the few couples that ventured so far as to feel love and compassion for each other—the idea no longer intrigued the demon. In fact, it turned his stomach if anything. He tried to actively avoid others of his kind so that on the off chance he did run into his mate, he wouldn't be forced to stay with her. If he didn't know who or where she was, then there was no obligation for Sebastian to seek her out.

Unfortunately for Sebastian, his efforts to avoid demon kind did little to protect him from destiny for his mate was hardly a demon at all. In fact, she eventually became the exact opposite.


United States: Year 2014

Artie

Come to find out, early prehistory was actually quite interesting. Especially when you take into account the parallels between the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis and Mesopotamia. I didn't think I wanted to share my epiphanies with anyone in my bible study though. I loved God and there was no doubt in my mind that I was His beloved child, just as we all were, but some people just took the Word too damn seriously. I mean, you can't deny that…oh never mind, I don't want to get started with this argument.

Anyway, prehistory was very interesting but the entire hour in that lecture hall I couldn't shake the feeling of Tall, Dark-haired, and Hansome's eyes on me. And every time I made the mistake of glancing over at the man, I would always find his rose-colored eyes staring into my soul as if he was trying to find something within me that had long been lost to him. It was…very Augustinian of the stranger actually. I just hoped I wasn't about to become the next Hazel Grace Lancaster the way he stared at me.

Even after class the Augustinian parallels continued as he smiled politely—and much more cockily than his first quiet greeting—and he looked to have found something. I nodded past him and tried to make my way out of the lecture hall as quickly as possible in order to avoid any form of embarrassment that I knew was coming. This guy was going to try hitting on me, I knew it. And me and boys…it was an understatement to say I didn't know how to communicate with the opposite sex. I was determined to make it back to my room as quickly as possible, but Madeline waved me down in the middle of her flock of freshmen, asking me to wait for her. My heart sank at that but still I smiled back at her in acknowledgement. For some reason, little Maddie adored me to no end and looked for every chance she could to have lunch with me and suck up as much wisdom from a broke-ass, twenty-one year old whose best friends were Jesus Christ and alcohol in that order as she possibly could. And me, being me, couldn't say no to those blonde curls and dimpled smile.

I stepped out of the lecture hall and pulled my scarf up to my chin as much as possible, trying to make myself inconspicuous. Tall, Dark-haired, and Handsome exited the lecture hall just as I took my place in the corner of the hallway, averting my gaze as if it would make me any less visible. But no, of course those red eyes would hone in on me. Of course he would waltz straight up to me thinking I was some eye candy a transfer student could get with. And of course, I knew I was about to make an utter fool of myself. It was hard enough talking to boys, but for someone that gorgeous to approach me and just knowing I was going to turn him off so badly he might get the opposite of a boner…whatever the hell that was.

Ooooh and the stranger just had to keep up with that Augustinian saunter didn't he. I just hoped it would go away as soon as he spoke.

The good news is that he did. The bad news is that his silky British accent not only blew Augustus's charm out of the water (pun intended) his voice made me weak in the knees. Lord have mercy, this was not going to end well.

"I hope you can forgive me for my rudeness earlier," he said, offering his tattooed hand. I clumsily took it in mine in a failed attempt at a polite handshake. "It is not polite of a man to stare to long at a young lady as beautiful as yourself. I simply could not help myself."

"Oh, s-sure yeah, 'ts fine," I stuttered, the lisp I had as a child sneaking its way to the surface. My hands felt clammy and still he held one of them in his. The back of my neck was starting to sweat. The back of my neck! I couldn't have been more thankful for the winter giving me an excuse to wear a coat so this beautiful specimen couldn't see my growing pit stains. Oh, this was awful.

For some reason, the stranger chuckled at my inherent awkwardness as if it were almost charming as he asked, "What is your name?"

"Uhhhh," I stammered. Crap, what was my name? "Artie."

Tall, Dark-haired, and Handsome chuckled again and teased, "Just Artie?"

"Well, I mean, my full name is Artemis Grace Thomas. But just call me Artie."

Somehow, even that didn't satisfy the stranger's curiosity, "Artemis Grace. What a unique name. And for a unique woman. I'm surprised you choose such a simple nickname to go by."

I narrowed my eyes at that. The stranger's Augustus was showing again, except this guy spoke with a much more condescending tone than I imagined Augustus would have said when he first met Hazel. Granted, his accent wholeheartedly made up for it, but I wasn't about to show my weakness for foreigners. "Well, Artie is the name I chose and I think it suits me."

The man's eyes practically lit up and his smile broadened just enough to show his flawless pearls for teeth. "Indeed it does, Artie. Indeed it does."

I cocked my head to the side, unable to contain my own smile as I asked, "And if I may ask, what is your name?"

With a light chuckle, the man raised my hand to his lips as if he were a Victorian gentleman and kissed it before answering, "I am Sebastian Michaelis, however you may call me Sebastian."

Sebastian…the name rolled off his tongue like chocolate syrup. I leaned against the wall and smiled. I felt like an utter train wreck in this guy's presence (probably more so about the fact that he not only tolerated my antics but actually seemed to draw towards them) and it was only a matter of time before I started word-vomiting all over him in a nervous fit, I just knew it.

For once, Madeline was actually helpful as she came to my rescue, her curls bouncing fervently.

"Hey, Artie!" she cheered as she came up to me, brushing past Sebastian as if he were invisible. She took one look at my flabbergasted, red-cheeked expression and then turned to the man in our presence before her jaw dropped and she asked, "Who is this?"

"Se—Sebass—" I stuttered, but Sebastian merely smiled and held his hand out to Madeline and as she took it, he lifted it to his lips in greeting just as he did me. Part of me deflated, wanting to smack that turd across the face for making me think that standard greeting of his was uniquely for me, but the logical portion of my brain reminded me that I had just met him and doing so would make me look even more insane than I already did.

"Sebastian Michaelis," he introduced. "And may I ask what name belongs to you, ma'am?"

"Madeline," my roommate squeaked with much more fluency than I could ever muster. "Madeline Midford."

"Midford?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't perhaps be a descendant of the Midfords of England, would you?"

Madeline and I exchanged confused glances before she shrugged and said, "Um, I guess. I know I had family immigrate from there back in the day, but I don't pay much attention to family history."

"But of course, I understand," Sebastian answered, releasing Maddie's hand and placing his own to his chest as if to bow. "I was only curious. You know, when I lived in England I knew the Midfords quite well. They were a powerful and noble family. Highly respectable."

"So you're from the UK then?" I asked curiously. "I mean, that's what I figured with your accent and all…but what brought you here?"

"You might say it was a whim, or you might say it was destiny," Sebastian explained, his rose-colored eyes sparkling with the word 'destiny'. It just rolled so smoothly off his tongue, it nearly hypnotized me. But he released me from my trance and elaborated, "A colleague of mine decided he needed a change of scenery and sought to finish his studies here. I simply decided to come with him."

"That's nice," I swooned as Maddie crinkled her nose in minor disgust.

"Wait, there was a scrawny British kid in my English class this morning. He had an eye patch on and was all snooty…that wouldn't happen to be him, would it?" she asked. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in recognition of the name, otherwise unfazed by Madeline's visible disgust. I remember her complaining about this kid when I got back from my pediatrics class earlier…and one thing about Madeline was that she was blunter than a butter knife. She didn't care if she knew you or not, she was going to tell you exactly what she thinks of you whenever she got the chance and she did not like what she saw of that brat this morning. Apparently.

"Yes, that would be the young Lord Ciel Phantomhive," Sebastian replied, his voice sounding strained as if he knew what was going to come out of Maddie's mouth next.

"Lord?" Maddie asked, as she placed her hands on her hips. "That twerp is a lord? He's like fourteen! He belongs in middle school not college!"

Sebastian then sighed, obviously sympathizing, though he tried his best to hide it. "Indeed, Lord Phantomhive is quite young, though his mind is much older than his years and after the death of his parents he was not only knighted by the queen as Lord of his estate, but he has completed all of his academic requirements to study at the University level. I do apologize on his behalf though, I understand he can be quite arrogant at times."

"Arrogant?" Maddie continued, "Oh, let me tell you a thing—"

"Madeline," I scolded, grabbing her shoulder tightly. The girl almost immediately shrunk away from Sebastian and submitted to me, averting her green eyes from the stranger.

"Sorry," she mumbled, though Sebastian seemed to take no offense at all.

"It's quite alright," he chuckled. "He does have a tendency to rub others the wrong way, but I assure you that he is a good man once you know him. In any case, I have kept you two long enough. It was good to meet you, Madeline, Artemis."

I tried really hard to respond politely, but I couldn't get over how awful my name sounded to me, even if it was spoken so elegantly, the sound of Madeline's snort in response all but made me want to strangle my parents for giving me such a ludicrous name. They didn't even know why they named me Artemis. Up until the moment I was born I was supposed to be Grace but as soon as my mom looked down at my baby bundle she made a last minute decision that Dad seemed to agree with for whatever reason.

"You just looked like an Artemis," Mom always said. "It suits you so well."

Yeah, well…whatever. I was stuck with it and I was too lazy and too conscious of my parent's feelings to go through the process of changing it.

"Please. Don't," I stuttered in response.

"Don't what?" Sebastian asked, looking almost confused.

"Don't call me Artemis," I pleaded. "Artie's just fine."

Sebastian almost looked a little sad at my request but he nodded and bid us both goodbye. As we walked to lunch, I felt myself letting out a deep breath that I had been holding since he made eye contact with me before class.

And of course, Maddie, being Maddie, had to ruin my moment of peace after that encounter as soon as we sat down for lunch in the dining hall.

"So you gonna get it in?" she asked, giving me a cheeky smile. I practically spit out my drink, choking on the bits of water that went into my lungs.

"What?" I screamed.

"That guy we just met," Madeline answered as if it explained everything. "Did you even look at him? He was hot!"

"Yes, I know that, Madeline," I groaned. "Trust me, I got a really good look at him. He was practically breathing down my neck, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, but he was totally into you!" Madeline shrieked, throwing her hands in the air. "I bet if you asked, he would totally hook up with you."

"Maddie!" I scolded, but "motherly-lecture-tone" as the girl liked to call it, had almost no affect on the bubbly girl. If there was one thing that could get her going, it was talking about boys. I made the mistake of informing her that I had no interest in pursuing any relationship with any man last semester and I had been regretting that lapse in judgment every day after that. At first she thought I just didn't swing that direction and tried to see what it was I was interested in, but then as soon as she saw me try to interact with the cute guy, Tim, in my bible study it was all over. She worked effortlessly to set us up. Until he got a girlfriend. Then she tried setting me up with every guy she met at a frat party. She tried dragging me out to frat parties, then convinced me to sneak her into the bar when she realized I was long past the freshman party phase just so she could hook me up with someone. When it came to boys, that girl had her head up her arse, that was for sure. And of course, my friends didn't do much to help my case. If anything, they encouraged her. They pointed her towards every single guy in their apartment complex they knew. If I didn't let that poor sap down hard, then I usually turned him off so hard he ran away from me. So. Yeah. I admired hers and my friends' persistence though.

"Come on, Artie!" Madeline pleaded. "He kissed your hand! I saw it!"

"He kissed your hand too," I retorted. "He's British and probably into the whole Victorian Downton Abbey manors type thing."

Maddie rolled her eyes and chided, "He held his lips to your hand longer."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Madeline, we literally just met the guy!"

"So? Never stopped me!"

"You're a freshman," I retorted. "You're in the middle of growing up and you hold different values than I do."

"Oh not this again," Maddie rolled her eyes, smacking her hand to her face. She hated whenever I gave this lecture, I know she did. I hated giving it, especially when it started after she spent a week crying over her midterm grades, but parents spoiled her too much to give her the lecture, so someone had to. Strangely enough, this time, I wasn't using the card to convince her to go to class but to defend myself as to why I don't waste my time trying to get with a guy.

"Maddie, the fact is that I'm a nursing major and I just don't have time for a relationship right now—"

"Well then live a little, would ya?" Maddie gasped. "You always say that you don't have time for this or that, but this is like your only time! You tell me I'm in this phase of growing up where I have to get my wildness out of the way, but when are you going to take care of yours?"

I opened my mouth to say something smart back to the girl, but for some reason, no words came. Maddie took the opening to reach across the table and grab my hands. This time it was her turn to lecture me: "Just…if he continues talking to you…don't shy away from him, okay? At least see where this goes. You never know, you might have just met your future husband."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled at the girl. She was obsessed with the bridal shows and always made future husband jokes, yet there was a genuine sparkle in her eyes that told me I should give this possible friendship with Tall, Dark-haired, and Handsome a chance.

"Alright. You win."


Sebastian

"For lunch today, I've prepared a lightly poached salmon," Sebastian began as he laid out the meal for his master. Even after just over a century, the younger demon fought to sway from his aristocratic upbringing. The butler had to suppress a bemused smile at how his spoiled master even ordered they secure a mansion in the area, despite the commute to the University they now hid away in. Ciel didn't take much of a liking to the idea of enrolling in University either, but Sebastian had to admit that his master at least saw the logic in it. If they were to return to the human world, they would have to abide by modern human customs, and that included obtaining a graduated degree. Granted, Sebastian could have easily created a replica for the both of them, but Ciel's social skills, especially in this new day and age were dismal if anything.

"Sebastian, this is tedious," Ciel scoffed. "I understand why you insist we do this, but in America?"

"You didn't wish to return to the Queen's service, My Lord, and returning to England would require that. This is the best alternative," Sebastian explained once more.

"But these people…they are blubbering idiots," the boy spat. "Pathetic mortals…"

"Let us not forget that you were once among them, Young Master," Sebastian chastised lightly. And he was so close to eating the boy's soul too…if only he had been stronger.

If only his mate hadn't…

No, Sebastian was not going to let his thoughts sink that low. Such thoughts were beneath him, even if he did let himself succumb to lowly human emotions. "I met Lady Elizabeth's descendent today. Madeline Midford is her name."

"Yes, I met her as well," Ciel grimaced. Apparently, whatever the two's exchange was in their English class, it left both parties rather sour. "And she's Edward's descendant, I figured out that much."

"Yes, but the relation is still there," Sebastian mused. "She certainly resembles Elizabeth—"

"She's a spiteful naïve idiot with no respect for her history. Lizzie would have never—" Ciel stopped himself suddenly and looked away. Sebastian chuckled to himself.

"My, my, are you missing her, Young Master?" Sebastian ventured to ask. It was unlike Ciel to mention anything of his past, even his time spent as a human after the incident that killed his family.

"You're one to talk," Lord Phantomhive spat back incredulously. Sebastian had to clench his jaw at that. Indeed, both demons had suffered great loss in their lifetime. But Ciel was young still, he had eons to rebuild his life and relationships with those around him should he so choose.

Sebastian on the other hand…well, he was practically counting down the days he had left to suffer and he would undoubtedly spend them alone, without the one person he once thought he never wished to meet. And now, without that person in his life he felt an emptiness that tore at him with each passing day.

And then there was the young lady whom he had met that invoked something within Sebastian that almost resembled emotion. Her dark red hair was unkempt and pulled haphazardly back into a bun and her complexion was so pale that her freckles stood out along with dark blue eyes that hid timidly behind long eyelashes. She made herself out to be so plain looking and she was undoubtedly human. And yet…

And yet Artemis Grace Thomas held such a befitting name.


Artie

I sat in the café drinking a chai tea latte after my clinical the next week. I stood out in my nursing scrubs and subconsciously scratched my scalp where the knot I had tied my hair into was, weighing my options and debating if it was worth it to return home and shower. I did desperately need to shave.

But then again, it was almost dinnertime and a Friday which meant everyone was fighting for mirror space to put their makeup on to go out and they would undoubtedly beg me to join them.

Screw that, I was going over to Krysta's and Ashley's apartment that night to watch Disney movies and bake cookies. Much better way to spend my time and sob over my life choices.

But still…I couldn't go over there until I showered…and I needed to make sure Madeline wasn't planning to do anything stupid…ugh, decisions, decisions.

Before I could come to a conclusion, however, a distinctive low and very British voice dancing across the room caught my attention as I shot my head up and caught Sebastian standing at the register ordering a coffee. I should have looked down sooner, but as soon as it dawned on me to, he lowered his gaze from the menu and locked eyes with me and flashed his beautiful smile.

And of course as soon as he got drink he waltzed right over to me.

"Hello, Artie. Is this seat taken?" he asked. I shook my head and moved my notes so he could sit. He took a sip of his drink as he sat down and I couldn't help but laugh at the slight contortion of his expression. "I must say, you don't serve the highest quality tea here. It's quite weak."

I couldn't help but giggle. Over the course of the last week, our conversations had been growing more casual and I was starting to feel myself loosen up around him, able to avoid stuttering with an embarrassing lisp. "What did you get?"

"Earl Grey," Sebastian grimaced again as he sat his cup down. I giggled and shook my head again.

"So British," I teased, and then offered him a sip of my drink. "Try this. It's a Chai Tea Latte. It's not exactly tea by your standards, but it's sweet."

Sebastian eyed my beverage suspiciously before he took it in hand and sipped. His lips puckered slightly as he gazed off to the distance and nodded his head. "Interesting," he stated.

"You don't like it do you," I observed as he handed me my latte.

"No, no! It's not that! It is good," Sebastian tried to explain as if he thought he offended me with his picky taste in tea. "I just…I have a very different sense of taste than most. I won't go into the details, but Earl Grey has been one of those drinks that I have taken a strange liking to."

"So in other words, you're just a picky eater," I teased. I got another chuckle out of Sebastian at that as he nodded his head.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," he replied, his rose-colored eyes sparkling. We sat there and chatted for a while. Although we had become friendly with each other in class (turns out I had two other classes with him. The big shot was pre-med of all majors) this was the first real conversation I had with Sebastian in any other setting where I didn't feel the compelling need to hurl from the anxiety of dealing with boys. He had a comforting presence, I was realizing, and with each encounter I felt more at ease with Sebastian as I noticed more and more how open he was around me—at least compared to other people like Madeline or Krysta who were the only two of my friends that actually knew about Tall, Dark-haired, and Handsome—and I was foolish enough to wonder if I had the same effect on him.

I also began noticing his sense of humor. Beneath all of his charm and his posh British exterior, Sebastian was actually a pretty quiet guy. I'd almost go as far as to call him a bit shy when he wasn't being a British gentleman. But if you got him to open up and show his wittier side, you could catch his dry sense of humor and the subtly of his jokes that you could only get if you shared even an ounce of his extensive knowledge and philosophical viewpoints. Again, it was so Augustinian of him and I had half a mind to check my oxygen supply or ask Sebastian how many legs he had.

"So tell me something," Sebastian asked, leaning towards me as his polished manors and the walls that separated me from a raw and unadulterated Sebastian all but disappeared. I sipped the last of my latte and leaned towards Sebastian. He crossed his arms, but held a hand out as if he wanted me to take it. I, in turn rested my head in my hands as my elbows rested on the table and awaited his question. "Artemis Grace, why do you dislike your name?"

I puffed out my cheeks at that and sat back in my chair. Sebastian gazed at me with an almost concerned expression as if he were a hurt kitten (fun fact: we were both cat fans. A good hour of our visit that day was spent showing him pictures of my cat from back home…my fat, furry mound of cat. It almost made him squeal. Sadly, he didn't, but the giggle I got out of him was good enough for me). Sebastian leaned to the side a bit and asked, "Is that not something you wish to speak about?"

"What? Oh! No, no, it's fine!" I waved my hadns in front of me for a bit. "Sorry, it's just…I mean, there's nothing wrong with my name, I just never liked it. I mean, 'Grace' is okay. It's a little girly, but it's okay. But 'Artemis'? Blagh!"

I cringed and stuck my tongue out for emphasis, causing Sebastian to smile and shake his head. "It is unique, I will say that. Just out of curiosity, do you know why your parents gave you that name?"

Again, I shrugged. "I don't think they even know why they gave me that name. They were planning on naming me Grace but when I was born Mom just decided I looked more like an Artemis. I don't even know how she came up with such an atrocious name."

"I have a few ideas," Sebastian mused. I gave him a quizzical look and he responded with an innocently confused one. There was a brief moment of silence before Sebastian changed the subject again.

We had to have been sitting there for a couple hours before I got a text from Krysta asking where I was, to which I quickly replied, "Coffee with Tall, Dark-Haired, and Handsome. Lemme shower and I'll be there."

The next text I got from her, of course, was, "GET IT INNNN" to which I quickly ignored.

"Your friends are looking for you?" Sebastian asked the second time my phone dinged. I sighed heavily and nodded.

"I should probably get going. We have a planned movie night and I still need to shower and change out of these scrubs," I explained as I put my jacket on. Sebastian nodded and swiftly moved to my side to help me into my coat sleeves before he handed me my scarf.

"Th-thanks," I stuttered. Still, I couldn't get passed the awkwardness whenever he did the polite thing. The guy even walked me back to my building for crying out loud!

"I bid you a goodnight," Sebastian bowed. I tried to fake a curtsey, but immediately regretted how awkward and insulting it must've looked. The man only laughed at my sad attempt and kissed my hand. "Shall I see you tomorrow?"

I shrugged, "Yeah I guess. Though I don't have your phone number to text you."

Sebastian in response pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me with the contact window open. I plugged my number into it and he plugged his own into mine. When we exchanged our phones again, I realized suddenly that there was nothing else to say other than goodbye. The feeling was…quite depressing really.

"Well, Artie, I bid you goodnight," Sebastian said as snow began to fall. With that, he turned to leave, but I couldn't shake some unnerving feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Hey Sebastian?"

"Yes, Artie?" the man turned as if he had been expecting me to say something.

"Just out of curiosity," I stumbled over the words awkwardly, "Why are you so interested in my name?"

"Because Artemis Grace," Sebastian said. His eyes trailed to the ground almost sadly before he looked back at me and flashed his beautiful smile, "it is the name of an angel."